Lewis Hamilton is set to make a bombshell switch to Ferrari in 2025, according to multiple reports.
The shock move would end his long-standing spell with Mercedes in Formula 1, despite having extended his contract with the team last summer to the end of the 2025 season.
But reports now claim the seven-time world champion has an escape clause in his deal with the Silver Arrows, which would allow him to join the Scuderia for the start of the 2025 campaign.
With Charles Leclerc having signed a long-term extension with Ferrari last week, Hamilton would replace Carlos Sainz next year at the iconic Italian team. Sainz’s contract with Ferrari runs out at the end of the 2024 season and his future is now unclear.
Mercedes refused to comment on the speculation when approached by The Independent this morning. A deal could be announced as soon as today.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, alongside technical director James Allison, is set to speak to Mercedes personnel at 2pm (GMT) on Thursday. It is expected he will announce Hamilton’s departure.
Hamilton, the joint-most successful driver in the sport’s history, has won six of his seven world championships at Mercedes after joining from McLaren in 2013, in what was then a surprising move.
The 39-year-old missed out on a record-breaking eighth title in 2021 in controversial circumstances during the final race in Abu Dhabi, while Mercedes have dropped off the pace in the two years since as Max Verstappen’s Red Bull have stormed to regular victories.
Hamilton was heavily linked with Ferrari last May, denying the reports and insisting he wanted to stay at Mercedes “for life”.
The Brit and team-mate George Russell both penned two-year extensions last summer, seemingly reinforcing Hamilton’s commitment to getting Mercedes back on top.
“We have never been hungrier to win,” Hamilton said at the time. “We have learnt from every success but also every setback. Being at the top does not happen overnight or over a short period of time.
“It takes commitment, hard work and dedication and it’s been an honour to earn our way into the history books with this incredible team. We continue to chase our dreams, we continue to fight no matter the challenge and we will win again. I’m grateful to the team who have supported me both on and off the track. Our story isn’t finished, we are determined to achieve more together and we won’t stop until we do.”
Yet the lure of Ferrari and joining the greats of yesteryear, like Michael Schumacher and Niki Lauda, seems to have swayed Hamilton’s mindset as he targets that record-breaking eighth world championship in the final years of his career.
The potential switch also creates a fascinating dynamic at Mercedes this year, which looks like being Hamilton’s last at the Silver Arrows.